Ojai Basin targets delinquent well owners with daily civil penalties

Ojai Basin targets delinquent well owners with daily civil penaltiesThe California groundwater agency is tightening enforcement of its extraction fees, leveraging $500 fines and $50 daily penalties to bring long-standing non-compliant pumpers into line with state mandates.

OBGMA held public hearings on July 30 to penalize two well owners for years of unreported groundwater extraction and unpaid fees totaling nearly $20,000.

The board approved $500 base fines and $50 daily civil penalties for non-compliant wells, though daily penalties will be waived if outstanding balances are paid by August 31, 2026.

The agency anticipates receiving $100,000 to $150,000 in Proposition 4 grant funding through a small GSA coalition to support its five-year Groundwater Sustainability Plan evaluation.

The Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency (OBGMA) is cracking down on delinquent groundwater extractors, utilizing its regulatory authority to impose fines and daily civil penalties on well owners who fail to report usage and pay extraction fees. During a July 30, 2026, board meeting, directors held public hearings for two properties that had fallen significantly behind on their required wellhead, groundwater extraction, recordation, and Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) fees. The first case involved a property at 417 McAndrew Road owned by Kenneth Wilson, which had accumulated $8,382.50 in missing fees and late charges. After the owner made a recent partial payment of $5,025, the OBGMA board voted to levy a one-time $500 fine and a $50 daily civil penalty on the remaining balance. However, the board agreed to waive the daily penalty if the outstanding balance is paid by August 31, 2026. A second property at 791 Boardman Road, owned by Scott Luttenberger, owed $11,319.83 across three listed wells, representing over 15 years of non-compliance. The board applied the $500 fine and $50 daily penalty to the property's active well. For a second, inactive well on the site, the board levied a $500 fine but agreed to waive it if the owner formally complies with county well abandonment or activation rules within 90 days. OBGMA relies on these extraction charges—which include a $65 quarterly wellhead fee, a $25 per acre-foot extraction charge, and a $100 per acre-foot GSP fee—to fund its operations and comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). In addition to fee enforcement, General Manager Julia Aranda noted that OBGMA expects to receive between $100,000 and $150,000 in Proposition 4 funding. The funds, coordinated through a small GSA coalition, will help pay for the basin's five-year periodic GSP evaluation, which includes updating the hydrogeologic model. Aranda also announced her upcoming transition away from the agency to focus on managing a $40 million imported water connection project for the Casitas Municipal Water District. She will overlap with her successor through the fall to ensure a smooth transition. To encourage broader basin compliance, the OBGMA board plans to include a notice in its next 60-day billing cycle thanking compliant pumpers while highlighting the agency's active enforcement measures against those who fail to report and pay.